Notary and Translation Services in Karratha

Getting a document notarised in Karratha is mostly a question of distance. The WA Government's list of practising notaries showed nobody with a Pilbara address when we checked it, and the nearest DFAT counter is in Perth. This guide sets out what that means in practice and where you can save yourself a trip.

Karratha and the City of Karratha

Karratha is the main town of the City of Karratha, a local government area of 15,882 km² in WA's Pilbara. The council puts its population at about 24,237. The district takes in the towns of Dampier, Karratha, Roebourne, Wickham, Point Samson and Cossack, plus the Dampier Archipelago and surrounding pastoral country. It was the Shire of Roebourne until 1 July 2014, when its population passed 20,000 and it became a city.

Tourism WA describes Karratha as a two-hour flight or a 16-hour drive from Perth, and about three hours' drive south of Port Hedland. It is a resource town. In the 2021 Census, the three largest industries of employment for residents of the Karratha local government area were iron ore mining (12.4%), other non-metallic mineral mining and quarrying (5.8%), and oil and gas extraction (5.4%). The Census counts people where they usually live, so fly-in fly-out workers based elsewhere are not included in these figures.

Most residents were born in Australia (65.5%). The largest overseas birthplaces were New Zealand, England, the Philippines, India and South Africa. The most common language spoken at home other than English was Yindjibarndi, a Pilbara Aboriginal language, followed by Tagalog, Filipino, Mandarin and Thai.

Popular places and things to do

• Murujuga Cultural Landscape. Murujuga, the Burrup Peninsula, lies about 35 km from Karratha. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2025 for one of the world's largest concentrations of rock engravings. Deep Gorge (Ngajarli) has an accessible walking trail past the engravings.
• Jaburara Heritage Trail, which starts at the visitor centre and introduces the Jaburara people's rock art.
• Dampier Archipelago, 42 islands and islets within about 45 km of Dampier, known for fishing, snorkelling and diving.
• Staircase to the Moon at Hearson's Cove, when a full moon rises over the exposed mudflats between April and October.
• Millstream Chichester National Park, about two hours south, and Karijini National Park beyond it.

What Karratha residents usually need notarised

The sources above point to the common cases:

• Police checks and qualifications for overseas jobs or visas. DFAT can legalise an original national police check directly, with no notary. An Australian university degree or transcript needs verification by the university before DFAT will legalise it. That applies to the original and to a notarised copy, and a notary's plain "true copy" certificate is not enough.
• Powers of attorney and property or company documents for use overseas. These are private documents, so a notary must witness or certify them before DFAT can legalise them.
• Documents for family in the Philippines, South Africa, the UK or New Zealand. Whether you need an apostille or embassy legalisation depends on the destination's status under the Hague Apostille Convention. Check the HCCH status table on the day.

Getting it done from the Pilbara

Finding a notary. WA's Law Almanac publishes the official list of practising notaries. On the version last updated 6 August 2026, which had about 80 entries, most notaries were in Perth and Fremantle. The regional addresses were in Albany, Broome, Bunbury, Dunsborough, Eaton, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Mandurah, Manjimup and Northam. None were in Karratha or Port Hedland. The list changes, so check it yourself before assuming there is no one closer. WA also allows a notary to be appointed for a single magisterial district outside Perth and Fremantle.

Remote options. Some notaries offer remote notarisation. Whether a remotely performed notarial act is accepted is decided by the authority receiving the document, not by Australian law, so ask the receiving authority before you book.

DFAT. Only DFAT issues apostilles and authentications. It takes documents in person by appointment at the Australian Passport Office in Perth, and someone can lodge and collect for you. It also accepts documents by registered post at its Melbourne or Sydney GPO box (addresses on Smartraveller). From Karratha, post is often the practical route. Include a self-addressed registered post envelope and keep both tracking numbers. DFAT does not publish a fixed turnaround.

Translations. For Australian agencies, use a NAATI-certified translator. Because NAATI certification is national, the translator does not need to be in the Pilbara. The NAATI Online Directory lets you search by language.

When a JP will do

A Justice of the Peace is a free volunteer witness for Australian purposes, such as statutory declarations or certified copies for the Department of Home Affairs. The WA Department of Justice has a search tool for finding a JP by town or postcode, and runs JP document witnessing centres. A JP cannot certify documents for overseas use, and DFAT will not apostille a JP's signature.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a notary public in Karratha? The WA list we checked had none with a Karratha address. Check the current list on the Law Almanac, or ask whether a notary elsewhere will act remotely and whether your receiving authority accepts that.

Can I send documents to DFAT from Karratha? Yes, by registered post to DFAT's Melbourne or Sydney address. The in-person option is the Perth passport office, by appointment.

Does my mining ticket or trade certificate need a notary? It depends on who issued it and where it is going. DFAT treats private college and RTO documents differently from TAFE documents. Ask the receiving authority, then check DFAT's list.